Pay Increase for Physical Therapists Higher in Long-Term Care Versus Other Settings

Physical therapists working in long-term care facilities received an average actual* pay increase of 3.7% in the last year, which was greater than the average actual pay increase seen by PTs in hospitals and home health settings.

That’s according to the latest Rehabilitation Salary & Benefits Report from Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service, which showed that hospital PTs received an average 3.49% pay increase and home health PTs received a 3.23% increase between July 2022 and June 2023.

However, overall hourly payment rates for physical therapists in long-term care facilities still lag PTs in hospitals and home health.

The study — which included 1,455 long-term care facilities, 355 hospitals and 790 home health agencies — comes as LTC operators continue to battle through difficult labor market conditions. Indeed, operators need to “think differently” about staffing and pursue a variety of initiatives to improve recruitment and retention, according to Leslie Campbell, COO of Touchstone Communities and a physical therapist by training.

However, “money matters” when it comes to solving workforce challenges, Campbell said during a recent appearance on the Skilled Nursing News RETHINK podcast.

For the 2023 to 2024 time period, long-term care operators are planning 3.3% increases for staff therapists across the disciplines of physical, occupational and speech therapy, according to the new HCS report.

LTC directors of rehab/rehab managers overseeing all disciplines earned an average salary of $91,740 in the last year. Of course, across all job titles considered in the report, wages varied by market. For directors of rehab/rehab managers, the average salary eclipsed the national average in states such as Florida ($110,846) and Pennsylvania ($110,153), while the average salary was below the national average in states such as Kentucky ($84,405) and North Carolina ($83,129).

The average bonus for an LTC director of rehab/rehab manager across all disciplines was $4,179. The average bonus was higher for this role when focused solely on PT ($10,334), occupational therapy ($9,996) or speech language pathology ($10,047).

Bismarck, North Dakota posted the lowest hourly rate for long-term care PTs, at $39.26. The highest hourly PT rate was in Boston, at $51.64, followed by Los Angeles at $51.26.

Physical therapy assistants made $30.73 per hour on average in the last year on a national basis, the report found. 

*Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story stated that the 3.7% represented the median pay increase for PTs. The story has been updated to reflect that the statistic refers the average actual increase. SNN regrets the error.